UT will hold Major-Palooza Wednesday, Feb. 4, from noon to 4 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium on Main Campus.

Major-Palooza is a fair designed to help students explore majors and careers.

Each year, approximately 500 students and 50 departments representing more than 70 majors attend this event, according to Terri Burnett, assistant director of Career Services. A student evaluation indicated that more than 50 percent of students are able to declare a major after attending Major-Palooza.

“This is a good opportunity for students to look at all the undergraduate and some graduate colleges at UT and talk to representatives from every department,” Burnett said.

The fair helps inform participants about departmental offerings and where alumni are finding jobs.

Major-Palooza is co-sponsored by the Student Success Center and Career Services.

Creative works by more than 30 talented individuals affiliated with UT’s Health Science Campus are on display through Tuesday, Feb. 24, on the fourth floor of Mulford Library.

The approximately 90 pieces include sculptures, paintings, photography and quilts.

Exhibit hours are Monday through Thursday from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Jodi Jameson, instructor and librarian in the College of Nursing, feels that the exhibit adds visual interest and creative stimulation to the atmosphere of the library on Health Science Campus.

“This year’s wide variety of artwork truly displays the creative side of UT’s health science students, faculty, staff and affiliates,” Jameson said. “At Mulford, we are so honored to house such a fantastic display of artistic talent. It’s a great thing to see students taking a study break to walk around and look at art.”

A reception for the artists, featuring live music and light refreshments will take place Friday, Jan. 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. in Mulford Library.

For more information on the free, public exhibit, call Mulford Library at 419.383.4225.

Working with UT Facilities, a river overlook and walkway was built near the renovated Savage Arena to promote a more open view of Ottawa River.

Invasive plants and dead ash trees were removed from the riverbanks in the section between the David Root Bridge on Stadium Drive and Douglas Road as part of a selective clearing project.

Norm Braden sprayed a seed mix to the banks of the Ottawa River in late November.

The overlook is positioned by the new entrance to Savage Arena and provides a nice gathering place for people to stop and observe the river, according to Dr. Patrick Lawrence, associate professor of geography and planning and chair of the commission.

The banks near the new outlook were seeded in November. The seed mix consisted of native plants that grow on steep, sloping areas and have deep roots to help reduce erosion, Lawrence said. This is a new experiment for UT and a new approach to more sustainable landscaping, he added.

The river commission also established two rain gardens on Main Campus — one north of the Glass Bowl and one north of the International House. The main purpose of the rain gardens is to collect and filter storm water runoff and prevent it from draining directly into the Ottawa River, according to Lawrence. Numerous native plants were placed and a seed mix was applied to both new rain gardens with hopes of spectacular results by this summer, he said.

Lawrence said plans for the future include planning for a river plaza between Carlson Library and the Student Union, assisting with landscaping for a new federally funded research facility to be located near the river, and organizing an informational meeting to discuss the health advisories that were placed on UT’s section of the river more than a decade ago and how it could benefit from improved testing.

These projects are designed to beautify the river, take care of environmental issues affecting the waterway, and improve river access and education efforts, he said.

The river commission has 20 members, including faculty, staff, students and people from the community.

Lawrence knows that the commission can’t fix all of the problems affecting the Ottawa River, but feels confident that the University is doing its part.

For example, he said at last September’s Clean Your Streams event, UT had its own kickoff location with 195 volunteers who, despite pouring rain, picked up some 800 pounds of trash and items from the river on Main Campus.

Two faculty members from the UT Department of Art are showcasing their work in an exhibit that focuses on pieces created while on sabbatical.

"Annie's Shrine" by Barbara WF Miner

“Conversations While on Leave: Recent Works by Debra A. Davis and Barbara WF Miner” is on display through Sunday, Feb. 8, in the Center for the Visual Arts Gallery on UT’s Toledo Museum of Art Campus.

Davis, professor and chair of art, said part of their conversations revolved around how their artwork has changed over the years.

“My work has shifted toward an examination of time and motion. I am interested in noticing the discarded and simple,” she said.

Davis explained the process behind her works featured in the exhibit: “I engaged in walks where I would record my walking by taking 20 paces and then photographing in front of myself and to the left and right. I am taking the many images that comprise the process and combining them into a single image for front, left and right, which contain the entire mile and a half. So time is condensed into one image that contains the entire process, rather than through a series of images presented in a linear fashion.”

"Inheritance" by Debra A. Davis

Miner, associate professor of art, spent three weeks as an artist in residence at the Ox-Bow artists colony in Saugatuck, Mich.

“I spent 12 to 14 hours a day in the wonderful studio they provided, just working and thinking and drawing,” she said. “It was a profoundly important time and it moved my work forward rapidly.”

Both women communicated with each other about their works while on leave.

“We talked about being artists. We talked about our own separate ideas and how to embody them,” Miner said. “What you will see in this exhibition is an ongoing dialogue, a conversation, between each of us and our own artwork.”

Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information on the free, public exhibit, call the UT Art Department at 419.530.8300.

The University of Toledo men’s basketball contest at Buffalo Saturday, Jan. 31, will be televised live on ESPN2, and the Rockets’ home game against Miami Saturday, Feb. 7, will be shown live on Fox Sports Net Ohio, the Mid-American Conference office announced.

As a result, the starting time for the Buffalo contest has been moved to noon, and the Miami game tip-off has been changed to a 2:30 p.m. Both games were originally slated to begin at 7 p.m.

The last time Toledo appeared on ESPN2 was when it dropped a 66-56 decision at Kansas in 2006.

Toledo possesses an 11-2 all-time record against the Bulls, including a 76-63 home triumph last season. The Rockets trail their all-time series with the RedHawks by a 65-49 margin and have dropped five of their last six meetings.

The University of Toledo will hold Law School Information Day on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Law Center Auditorium on Main Campus.

Participants will have the opportunity to meet representatives from law admissions, career development and financial aid.

In addition, College of Law faculty and students will be there to advise participants on law programs at UT.

“This is an opportunity to learn about the exciting careers available to lawyers,” said Douglas Ray, dean of the College of Law. “People with full-time jobs will be interested in learning about our part-time evening program, and current college students can learn about full-time law study and all the activities we offer.”

For more information on this free, public event, contact law.admissions@utoledo.edu or visit www.utlaw.edu.

Enrollment at The University of Toledo rose for the sixth consecutive semester with spring 2009’s figure of 20,775 a 5.4 percent increase from spring 2008 across all UT campuses.

“Each year we’re building on our prior year’s successes,” said Lawrence J. Burns, vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity. “As we celebrate this spring’s numbers, The University of Toledo is already using innovative enrollment programs like the UT Guarantee to continue this momentum.”

The UT Guarantee offers students from the public school districts in Ohio’s 21 largest cities the ability to attend UT tuition-free if they maintain a high school GPA of 3.0 and are eligible for some level of Pell Grant.

UT’s full-time equivalency (FTE) — the figure used to determine state subsidy — also increased, up 7.6 percent from 16,421 last year to 17,670 this year. FTE is calculated by the total number of course credit hours taken by students divided by 15, and often conveys a more accurate representation of the way enrollment affects an institution’s fiscal picture.

Six University colleges saw triple-digit headcount enrollment growth: Arts and Sciences, Education, Engineering, Health Science and Human Service, University College and the College of Graduate Studies.

Kevin Kucera, associate vice president for enrollment services, said he was pleased to see the growth spread so equally across the University.

“Almost every area is seeing enrollment growth, and I think that speaks volumes about the positive way current and prospective students see The University of Toledo when they are first making their decisions about where to attend college,” Kucera said.

Burns added that UT’s enrollment success was a campus-wide effort.

“Everyone from admission staff and recruiters to faculty, staff and current students have been key to our successful enrollment efforts,” he said.

The University will be admitting hundreds of the best academically prepared students from Columbus City Schools during a UT Guarantee visit Feb. 11. The Columbus trip is similar to the enrollment events UT has held in Cleveland and Toledo.

University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs cautioned there will be tough times ahead during a town hall meeting today, but offered strong optimism for the financial future of UT.

“I am confident, in fact, I am absolutely certain that we will get out of this,” he said. “But it is imperative that we continue to think strategically.”

Jacobs said the extent to which the tough economic climate would affect UT’s pocketbook in the short term is still unknown because Ohio’s next biennial budget has yet to be compiled and completed.

A possible shortfall at the state level of $7 billion, however, almost certainly will mean more layoffs at UT, he said.

“I am deeply committed to reducing layoffs by all means necessary,” Jacobs said. “We’re working very hard to delete vacancies. It is more humanitarian to delete a vacant position than it is to delete a filled position.”

Jacobs also said the creation of small early retirement programs and an internal program for retraining those displaced for other positions at the University are under way.

When Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland announces changes to Ohio’s budget, Jacobs said he is hopeful the governor will protect the funding for higher education.

“Governor Strickland and I agree that the only long-term solution to this problem is higher education,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs will offer more insights into UT’s possible financial future Wednesday, Jan. 28, after watching a public viewing of Strickland’s state of the state address at noon in Doermann Theater on Main Campus.
Also at today’s town hall meeting, the question was asked whether Jacobs would consider donating a longevity bonus he will receive in 2011 back to the University.

He said he had considered it and offered a charge to the audience.

“If you don’t think I’m earning my salary, and I think I am, but if I’m not earning my salary, you have the right to let the board of trustees or the governor know,” he said, adding that he thinks he uses his earnings responsibly, including giving to UT.

“But what I do with that salary once I have it,” he said, “that’s between God and me.”

The next town hall meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 4 p.m. in Health Education Building Room 100 on Health Science Campus.

Scholar, author and CBS drama “CSI: NY” actor Hill Harper will be the keynote speaker at The University of Toledo Office of Excellence’s 25th annual Aspiring Minority Youth Conference Saturday, Jan. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium on Main Campus.

This year’s conference theme is “25 Years Later: Rekindling the Commitment to Education.”

Harper is scheduled to speak around 9:30 a.m. on “The Importance of Education.”

In his first book, Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny, he shares life lessons he learned on the road to his Ivy League education and beyond. His second book, Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny, continues to offer words of encouragement and guidance. Harper is one of the starts of “CSI: NY”; he plays Dr. Sheldon Hawkes. Harper has an undergraduate degree from Brown University and a law degree from Harvard. He often speaks to young people about the measure of success, how to learn from mistakes and the value of education.

“We are excited to be celebrating the 25th annual Aspiring Minority Youth Conference. The goal of the conference is to challenge and motivate students, their parents and educators to rethink the importance of education, where it has taken us so far, how it will improve the human condition, and where it will take us in the future,” said David Young, interim director of the Office of Excellence.

“We hope to encourage and inspire students to be mindful of the importance of education by planning and preparing for professions and careers. Students should be considering talents, skills and interests when choosing professional careers and also become civic-minded, proactive members of their communities.”

After the general session featuring Harper, there will be a session for parents and educators where they will learn tools to help students consider how individual skills and interests can be channeled effectively in order to achieve their goals and hear ways to develop the skills needed to guide young people in their career choices.

A concurrent session will run for students featuring Harper and a Toledo Excel alumni panel designed to motivate students to make plans, become active in the community, and take charge of their futures.

Toledo Excel was established in 1988 to help groups of students under-represented in higher education, including African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans, for success in college. Through services such as summer institutes, academic retreat weekends, campus visits and guidance through the admission process, students increase their self-esteem, cultural awareness and civic involvement.

The Office of Excellence is a hub of academic programs, activities and services that reaches students in the eighth grade through high school graduation and beyond. These programs include Toledo Excel, Upward Bound, Student Support Services and the Aspiring Minority Youth Conference.

Harper will be available for a book signing following the program.

The conference is free and open to the public; call 419.530.3820 to make a reservation.